Welcome to the September 2016 pc builds of the month. Below you will find links to quickly jump you to any of the builds, which should cover most gamers needs – anywhere from $600 1080p high-end gaming to $1000 1440p and being able to play comfortably into 4K resolutions for $1300.
Jump to a specific budget gaming pc build
- September 2016 PC Build (1440p to 4K) – $1300
- September 2016 PC Build (1080p to 1440p) – $1000
- September 2016 PC Build (1080p) – $600
Introducing the September 2016 PC Builds of the Month
September is always an exciting time of the year for PC building – it’s the end of the summer, which usually sprouts newer exciting pc hardware announcements and it’s the start of the school year for some, which usually means that some will need a solid gaming pc to start the academic year of with; you know, for homework and hardcore, high fps gaming.
We saw a ton of hardware announcements in the graphics cards department this summer and it seems that prices have now become much more stable and appropriate for each of the pc build categories below. There are now new graphics card included in each of the pc builds below and more than ever, the actual performance boost far out performs previous cards in each of the categories. This now includes the GTX 1070 with a GTX 1080 in the $1300 high end build / the AMD RX 480 or GTX 1060 in the $1000 High-End Build / and now a huge upgrade for the $600 build, the RX 470.
So which ever build you think woks best for you, I wish you the best in building. If you have any questions, comments jokes or the like – please feel free to leave them below.
September 2016 PC Build (1440p to 4K) – $1300
Capability: Game with Extreme settings and High FPS at resolutions of 1920×1080 (1080P) & 2560×1440 (1440p) + playable at 4K
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price : | $1297.15 (September 2016) | ||
| Processor | Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, 6 M Processor Cache 6 for LGA 1151 (BX80662I56600K) | $238.03 |  |
| Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) | $33.88 |  |
| Motherboard | MSI Performance Gaming Intel Z170A LGA 1151 DDR4 USB 3.1 ATX Motherboard (Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon) | $169.99 |  |
| Graphics Card |
ASUS GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Turbo Edition 4K & VR Ready (*Newer Graphics card, see alternatives section below for GTX 1080 option as well) |
$409.95 |  |
| RAM | $73.99 |  |
|
| SSD | Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E500B/AM) | $158.55 |  |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, 80+ GOLD 750W Power Supply (220-G2-0750-XR) | $104.99 |  |
| Computer Case | SilverStone Technology Performance ATX Primera Computer Case Black With Red LED PM01BR-W | $109.99 |  |
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1500 )
This build is coined as being the Extreme Gaming PC build of the month and here is the September 2016 PC Build version. This particular build has evolved over the year and believe it or not, this build now packs so much punch for a much lower cost – in other words this used to be a more expensive $1500 build with less performance. Since NVIDIA released their new cards, you can pack so much gaming performance into lower cost high-end graphics cards.
This $1300 September 2016 gaming pc build is for those who want to game smoothly in most games at monitor resolutions of anywhere from 1440p (2K) all the way into 4K. Also if you look a little further below there are hardware upgrades for this build that all increase performance a step further to either further solidify those higher resolutions or future games.
For the CPU, we have an Intel i5 6600K cpu and paired with it is a Cooler Master Hyper 212 cpu cooler. With the affordable Hyper 212, you should be able to overclocking the 6600K processor with no problems at all. If you are interested in overclocking, you can get a head start with the how-to with this handy TomsHardware CPU overclocking guide.
For the real power driver behind this $1300 pc build is the ASUS GTX 1070. This graphics card has so much potential and bang for your buck that you won’t regret including it as your main performance driver in this build for gaming. To give you an idea of some benchmarks of the GTX 1070 you can check out any of these fantastic reviews: Guru3D – The TechReport – TomsHardware and many more if you use the all mighty Google.
For a motherboard, we have the MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon motherboard that includes everything you need with a few neat additions like Mystic Lighting, Gaming LAN and more. See the motherboard specifications below or learn more at MSI.com or if you want to read a solid review please check out bit-tech.com’s review on the MSI Z170 Gaming PRO Carbon.
- Socket1151
- CPU (Max Support)i7
- Chipset Intel® Z170 Chipset
- Memory Channel Dual
- DIMM Slots 4
- Max Memory (GB) 64
- PCI-Ex16 3
- PCI-E Gen Gen3
- PCI-Ex1 4
- RAID 0/1/5/10
- LAN 10/100/1000*1
- TPM 1
- USB 2.0 ports (Rear) 4
- Audio ports (Rear) Realtek® ALC1150 Codec
- HDMI 1
- DVI 1
- DirectX DX12
- Form Factor ATX
- SLI Y
- CrossFire Y
For the included RAM, we have 16GB (two 8GB sticks) with the included Ballistix Sport LT memory kit, which is plenty enough memory for most of any gaming pc builds.
The included storage is a Samsung 850 EVO 500GB Solid State Drive “SSD”, which will perform much better helping with those load / boot times and reading speeds. This is a major bump in solid state storage as the builds budget now allows for this (as previously only 256GB SSD was included in this build). If you want an even greater boost in read / write speeds check out the Storage Upgrade solution in the hardware upgrades below for this pc build, as included there is an even faster PCIe SSD option.
Last month for the power supply we did have the higher efficiency EVGA SuperNOVA 750 P2 80+ PLATINUM. This month for the power supply though to keep within our budget of $1300, I have included the previous psu we have included, which is the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, which gets the job done just the same – however if you do want a more power efficient pus of the same power capacity, then you do still have the option of the EVGA SuperNOVA 750 p2 for a tad more moola.
The PC case featured this month is the Silverstone Primera PM01, a newer PC case, a newer PC case that has gon under the radar with all of those most recent amazing graphics card releases. The Primera PM01 has the following features (read more at SolverStoneTek.com)
- Includes three 140mm LED fans and built-in LED strips for stunning visual impact
- Oversized front panel mesh design inspired by supercar intake grill
- Support two 240/280/360mm radiator for AIO liquid cooler or custom water cooling
- Reserved water tank mounting holes for water cooling setup
- Removable filters with positive air pressure design for dust reduction
- Built-in 4-segment LED light controller to adjustable brightness and modes
- Super clean internal look with PSU and drive bay cover
- Includes 10 in 1 fan hub for fan cable management
And here is a quick overview video of the case done by 3DGameMan –
September 2016 (1440p to 4K) PC Build Upgrade Suggestions – ($1860 if all upgrades were included)
The hardware upgrades you see here are recommendations for the above 1440p – 4K PC build for September 2016. You can choose one or all of the hardware and it will be compatible with the above build and improve it’s performance in some way. Should you purchase all of the hardware upgrades instead of the alternatives already in the main build – then it will cost you around $1860 as of the start of September.
You can get an Intel i7 6700K cpu if you do things like video work, graphics work etc. since this isn’t really needed for pure gaming – plus this cpu is much cheaper than it used to be. This could also be a worthy upgrade for those wanting to further “future-proof” their high-end build.
The above gaming pc build includes a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD for storage, which is perfectly suited for most gamers, although below is a faster Samsung 950 PRO PCIe SSD, which has faster read / write times and also 500GB of storage – a real premium PCIe Solid State Drive.
If you want more than the included air cpu cooler included in the main build, then below is the Corsair Hydro Series H100i V2 liquid cpu cooler. This cooler would be a substitute for the above included Hyper 212 EVO air cpu cooler and would provide a quieter, more efficient / more customized cooling experience. This option would be best purchased now rather then later so as to save on buying only one cooler for your PC (learn more at corsair.com).
**For the biggest improvement in performance out of the included hardware included in the alternative section, consider a GTX 1080 graphics card included as an alternative option to the GTX 1070 included in the main build for September 2016. The cost of this card is finally starting to come down, so it’s definitely a better time to purchase.
BUILD COST WITH ALL BELOW UPGRADES: $1860
|
CPU UPGRADE
|
GRAPHICS CARD UPGRADE |
|
CPU COOLER UPGRADE
|
STORAGE UPGRADE
|
Purchase a liquid CPU cooler (instead of the included air cooler):
PCIe SSD: 
September 2016 PC Build (1080p to 1440p) – $1000
Capability: Game with Extreme settings at 1920X1080 resolutions up to Higher Settings at 2560×1440 (2K)
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price: | $960.82 (September 2016) | ||
| Processor | Intel Boxed Core I5-6600K 3.50 GHz, 6 M Processor Cache 6 for LGA 1151 (BX80662I56600K) | $238.03 |  |
| Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO – CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) | $28.72 |  |
| Motherboard | $134.99 |  |
|
| Graphics Card
|
Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB (*Newly released AMD card – might be in limited supply)
OR (similar cards / better in specific games so look up benchmarks) ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 (*Newly released NVIDIA card – might be in limited supply) |
$279.99
$321.99 MRSP = $249 |
|
| RAM | $39.99 |  |
|
| SSD | $92.99 |  |
|
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA 650 G1 80+ GOLD, 650W Continuous Power, Fully Modular 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 120-G1-0650-XR | $79.27 |  |
| Computer Case | $66.84 |  |
|
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: Gaming PC Build ( $1000 )
This $1000 September 2016 pc build is for those with a budget of around $1000 and for those who want to be playing all games at 1920×1080 resolutions and into 1440p / 2K resolutions smoothly and at high settings. This build includes all newer and compatible hardware and is chosen on both performance, quality and price. This is the High-End gaming PC build, once that will probably cover most of any gamers bases.
Throughout the Summer there were some awesome graphics card releases and this $1000 build is of no exception. Throughout the mid-half of 2016 we have been seeing a ton of graphics card releases and we now have two contenders for this specific build – that is the brand new NVIDIA GTX 1060 and the new AMD X 480 graphics cards. Both of these cards can be similar in cost and performance they do differ in specific games so please do look up some benchmarks (via Google or YouTube) for some of the games you may be interested in. For some links to such benchmarks please refer back to the introduction of this article.
This build uses a combination of the Skylake Intel i5 6600K cpu and a Cooler Master Hyper 212 cpu cooler (as you do need a cooler as there is no stock one included with the 6600k), plus the hyper 212 helps tremendously when oveclocking that unlocked 6600k processor leaving with tons of possibilities. As I mentioned in the build above – for those interested in educating themselves around overclocking you can check out a recent article from the TomsHardware CPU overclocking guide.
The motherboard included again this month for the $1000 September 2016 PC Build is the Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 3. The Gaming 3 motherboard has the following specifications (and you can learn more on the product page at gigabyte.com):
- Supports 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor
- Dual Channel DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- Intel® USB 3.1 with USB Type-C™ – The World’s Next Universal Connector
- 3-Way Graphics Support with Exclusive Ultra Durable Metal Shielding over the PCIe Slots
- Dual PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connectors with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe NVMe & SATA SSD support)
- 3 SATA Express Connectors for up to 16Gb/s Data Transfer
- 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier
- Killer™ E2200 Gaming Networks
- High Quality Audio Capacitors and Audio Noise Guard with LED Trace Path Lighting
- APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities
- GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ Technology
The RAM included is the affordable kit of Kingston HyperX Fury (8GB 2x4Gb sticks), which is enough memory for most standard gaming pc builds, and you always have the option to upgrade more in the future if need be with the extra couple of slots on the included motherboard.
The included storage is the infamous and long standing Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD. Should you require more then 250GB of storage right away you could also consider adding in a cheap 1TB HDD as a secondary drive or upgrading to the 500GB version / or the slightly faster SSD included in the hardware upgrades section below; of which I would recommend.
The included power supply unit (and for some time now in this build) used is the EVGA SuperNOVA G1 650W power supply, which is a great PSU with all modular cables and it provides the perfect amount of power for this build along with room for some upgrades. For it’s price, quality and the fact that it’s modular makes this a perfect choice.
We have a new PC case for the $1000 build this month, this is the Zalman Z9 Neo. I have always been a fan of Zalman, being one of the first pc case brnads of my own and they have always been a great case for what you pay. If you want to read a quick review please visit Toms Hardwares Zalman Z9 Neo Mid-Tower ATX Gaming Case Review. Otherwise the Zalman Z9 NEO has the following specifications: Check them out at Zalman.com.
September 2016 (1080p to 1440p) PC Build Upgrade Suggestions –
Here are some upgrade ideas for your $1000 September 2016 pc build depending on your budget or future performance upgrade. This build could turn into a $1300 pc build should you actually incorporate all of the suggestions below in place of the same hardware in the main build table above.
For a further boost in graphics you could consider going straight for a GTX 1070 graphics card (released earlier this summer), which could max those games out in 2K without a hiccup enabling higher frame rates in more demanding games.
If you want more than the included 250GB storage SSD in the main build, you could consider bumping your SSD up to a slight faster 480GB SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD instead giving you nearly double the space.
You could also go with a liquid cpu cooler such as the Corsair Hydro Series H80i GT in place of the Cooler Master HYper 212 EVO air cooler already included in the above build. This could help keep things quiet and a tad cooler when overclocking and it offers a more customize cooling experience (learn more about the Corsair h80i GT at Corsair.com).
I have also included a PSU upgrade this month – that is the EVGA 650Watt P2, which is a Platinum rated PUS giving you an extra boost in power efficiency, which could save a tad on power as it uses it more efficiently. To learn more about the EVGA P2 specifications please visit the EVGA P2 information page.
BUILD COST WITH ALL BELOW UPGRADES: $1200
|
STORAGE UPGRADE |
GRAPHICS CARD UPGRADE
|
|
PSU UPGRADE
|
CPU COOLER UPGRADE
|
Add a Larger Faster SSD: 
Then get more graphics power with a new GTX 1070 – 
Upgrade to a Platinum efficient power supply – 
September 2016 PC Build (1080p) – $600
Capability: Game at Smoothly with High settings and FPS at 1920X1080 resolutions in most games.
| Hardware Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estimated Price: | $601.65 (September 2016) | ||
| Processor | $115.95 |  |
|
| Motherboard | Gigabyte SDRAM NA Motherboards (GA-H170-D3H) | $99.99 |  |
| Graphics Card | XFX RADEON RX 470 RS 4GB DDR5 1226MHz Triple X OC Hard Swap Detachable Fan Design Graphics Cards RX-470P4LFB6 | $209.99 |  |
| RAM | Kingston HyperX FURY Black 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL14 DIMM Desktop Memory (HX421C14FBK2/8) | $39.99 | |
| SSD | Kingston Digital 120GB SSDNow V300 SATA 3 2.5 (7mm height) Solid State Drive (SV300S37A/120G) | $44.99 |  |
| Power Supply | EVGA 500 W1, 80+ WHITE 500W, 3 Year Warranty, Power Supply 100-W1-0500-KR | $37.01 |  |
| Computer Case | Corsair Carbide Series 200R Compact ATX Case | $50.99 |  |
| Optical Drive | No optical drive included in base build cost – *This should be considered optional | – |
Overview: $600 Gaming PC Build
If you are looking for what can be considered the staple of PC gaming, this is it. The $600 gaming pc build of the month is for those wanting to game at standard HD resolutions (1080P) and wanting to get high settings with high FPS gaming – and quite honestly better than console gaming without a hiccup. This build has also gotten its well deserved pump in graphics with the newly released RX 470, included and at a great price.
The gaming CPU in this $600 pc build, we have a Intel i3 6100. This is a dual core cpu clocked in at 3.7 GHz and paired with the brand new RX470, then we are clear sailing. Please check out the benchmarks over at this digitalfoundry video you can see how very awesomely powered this card is over the previously included in this build.
For the motherboard we have the Gigabyte (GA-H170-D3H) board, which is both affordable and comes with more than the standard entry level gamer needs and as stated by Gigabyte themselves:
- Supports 6th Generation Intel® Core™ Processor
- Dual Channel DDR4, 4 DIMMs
- 2-Way Graphics with Premium PCIe Lane
- PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 Connector with up to 32Gb/s Data Transfer (PCIe NVMe & SATA SSD support)
- 2 SATA Express Connectors for up to 16Gb/s Data Transfer
- 115dB SNR HD Audio with Built-in Rear Audio Amplifier
- High Quality Audio Capacitors and Audio Noise Guard with Ambient LED Trace Path Lighting
- Intel® GbE LAN with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
- APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities
- GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™ Technology
- Support Intel® Small Business Advantage
For RAM we have a kit of Kingston HyperX FURY Black 8GB (two 4GB sticks of DDR4 and for storage we have a a 120GB Kingsotn Digital SSD. Now I know this ay not be an ideal storage for all gamers, you can easily upgrade for a little more to a 256GB version or check the alternatives table below.
The power supply has been switched up again this month to the EVGA 500 W1, with enough juice to power this build all the way.
The PC case has been switch up for September to the Corsair Carbide Series 200R. This case has been around for a little bit and is a very reputable budget pc case to use. The Corsair Carbide 200Ris quoted as being desing for Easy Builds and has the following overview form Corsair.com –
Less work. More play. Build with the Carbide Series 200R and the only time you’ll need to pick up a screwdriver is to install the motherboard. The side panels and expansion slots use thumbscrews, and SSD, hard drive and optical drive installation are all tool-free. Cutouts for cable routing and CPU cooling make builds and upgrades neat and simple
September 2016 (1080p) PC Build Upgrade Suggestions – ($800 With Upgrades Included)
These are the upgrade suggestions for specific hardware included in the above $600 / 1080p pc build. You can choose to upgrade one of all of the hardware and each will provide a performance boost for this build. If you choose to upgrade using all of the below hardware, the build becomes more like an $800 gaming pc build.
Should you want to upgrade the stock cooler already included with the i3 6100 Corsair then the Hydro Series H55 liquid cpu cooler could be a solution. Corsair describes this cooler as a being able to run your PC cooler when compared to a cpu’s stock cooler. This liquid cooler is ideal since it can easily fit into even the more cramped of pc cases. Read more at corsair.com.
One of the more important upgrade solutions could be the brand new AMD RX 470 graphics card and for the upgrades we have he RX 480, which is the suggested step up. This graphics card is also included in the $1000 gaming pc build.
You can increase your storage space by going with an affordable 480GB ADATA SSD (same version just higher capacity) as seen below, which is a great price for a large storage solution SSD and you could also simply go with the 256GB version for slightly more storage.
Finally, included is a better performing gaming CPU, the Intel i5 6500, which may be a worthy investment to solidify performance in those higher cpu demanding games or future proofing.
BUILD COST WITH ALL BELOW UPGRADES: $850
|
CPU COOLER UPGRADE
|
GRAPHICS CARD UPGRADE
|
|
CPU UPGRADE
|
STORAGE UPGRADE
|
Better CPU Cooler: 
The new 
Higher performing Processor – 
Gaming PC Build Peripheral Considerations
The above $600 September 2016 gaming pc build does not include peripherals such as monitors, mice or keyboards. So please check out the gaming pc peripherals section should you need to purchase a monitor, mouse or keyboard for your new September 2016 gaming pc build. There are many suggestions generally split into three categories of higher-end, mid-range and basic suggestions. If you have any questions or want a suggestion feel free to leave a comment.
Operating System Options
If you don’t already have an operating system for your new gaming pc build, then you’re going to have to either invest in purchasing a standard OS such as Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10. Otherwise, there are some free alternatives that you could consider below as well. Keep in mind that you will need an optical drive should you decide to purchase the install discs, however you can also purchase Windows online or as a USB stick and install it that way – this would be the process for installing your OS without an optical drive (which isn’t included in each of the base builds above).
The following are some operating systems you can consider installing upon putting your Gaming PC build together. The first three will cost you and are either Windows 7 or 8.1, or 10 – I have no opinions here so I’ll leave the purchase of these up to the discretion of yourself, but do keep in mind that either way you do have the option of upgrading to Windows 10 for now. I have also included two other operating systems that are both currently free. Ubuntu is a Linux based operating system. The last OS is SteamOS, which is also a Linux OS being developed by Valve Corporation and is being made to be used for a Steam Machine game console.
| OS Link | Price | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 8.1 | Windows 8.1 System Builder OEM DVD 64-Bit | $99.95 |  |
| Windows 7 | Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit, System Builder OEM DVD 1 Pack (New Packaging) | $104.99 |  |
| Windows 10 Upgrade | Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc | $92.19 |  |
| Ubuntu | Ubuntu – Desktop | Free |  |
| SteamOS | SteamOS Beta “Build your own Steam Machine” | Free |  |
Comments 9
Hello. Can somebody help me with laptop? I search best laptop under $200. It can be used (for better perfomance). Maybe some send me models name or specifications. Thanks
P.S. e-mail durasel2@gmail.com if you can’t answer here.
Hi Corey,
My Liquid cooling H110i GTX is in the front of the 400c carbide case and all of the fans of my case are all exhaust. They say it’s okay too lessen dust and heat buildup inside. Currently living in the Philippines where the weather is kinda hot and dusty too.
Thanks!
Author
Yeah that should be ok, as long as there is air coming in with the liquid cooler. How’s the build running??
Kinda hot at mid day gpu temps while playing project cars 68-70 and cpu under 55c. But my ups giving a constant beep (when playing an intense game ) and the manual said is the ups is overheating. Is 650 ups is enough for the build? Or should I go for higher to be safe?
tried the game and I play for 20-30m and the ups din’t give a constant beep. I think the problem is that the plug of the psu through the ups is slightly unplugged somehow. GPU temps 67-69c at 80% load using rivatuner and cpu temps never going up to 50c
Hey Corey,
http://pcpartpicker.com/list/FLm34C
I have bought my first pc and I don`t know about water cooling. Is the power supply is enough? It will not power shortage? btw we don`t have evga products to our country
Thanks!
Author
Hi Joey, congrats on the purchase of your build. No you should be good!
Hi Corey
Just wanted to say I built April’s 1500 and it came out sweet!Thanks a lot for maintaining this site it was really helpful for a novice like me. I keep coming back every month to see what kind of setups you recommend. I got two more builds am working on at the moment and can’t wait till they’re done. Keep up the great work sir!
Author
Thank you so much German Aguilar! I really appreciate the feedback and that your builds was a success, that’s the goal of this site. Best of luck with your upcoming builds as well.